A voiceover artist is an artist who uses their voice to market, narrate and entertain in a range of different ways. They are mostly involved in creating commercials, video games, animations, and even educational content. However, it isn’t enough to simply have good voice techniques if you want to become a voiceover artist, as you will also need to be able to do impressions, mimicry, and create character voices. Therefore, it is crucial that, even though you won’t be on screen very much, you know how to act if you want to give the best possible performance. Here are our top five tips on how to become a voiceover artist.
Take Classes
Many people make the mistake of thinking that being a voiceover artist means only using your voice, but in fact, it involves a whole lot more than simply reading words off a page. Therefore, it is important that you try to develop your skills wherever possible and refine your abilities. The best way to do this is to take acting classes. There are classes out there that can help give you a more confident and believable performance.
Record a Demo
For a voiceover artist, a demo is a lot like a professional resume. It showcases your abilities and talents, and it gives you something to show for potential employment opportunities. You can record a variety of voice over examples as part of your demo, with a medley of voices, lines, dialogues, and techniques. Whatever kind of voiceover skills you have, make sure to include them in your demo.
Network
Just like with any profession, it is important that you make yourself known within the industry so that you can network for employment opportunities. You will have heard of the saying, “it’s not what you know, but who you know”, and expanding your social and professional network may help you get an opportunity through someone in your circle. However, don’t forget that networking is a two-way street and if you want to benefit from your connections, then you need to try and help others out as well.
Audition
If you want to become a voiceover artist, it is essential that you are comfortable doing auditions as they are the main way that you are going to get work. While an audition can feel overwhelming, the more of them you do, the less nerve-racking you will find them.
Practice
As with anything you do in life, if you want to improve your skills, then you need to practice at every opportunity. From reading aloud every day at home, to visiting a professional recording studio when you get the chance, the most effective way to become a voiceover artist is to keep rehearsing.
While there is no limit to where a career as a voiceover artist can take you, you should remember that it is a very competitive industry to get into, and you will need to work hard if you want to succeed.
